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PLEASE NOTE: Michael D's is currently in READ ONLY MODE. Anything submitted will simply not be written to the database.
Lots of stuff is still broken, but at least reviews can now be looked up and read.
Movie 43 (2013)

Movie 43 (2013)

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Released 12-Jun-2013

Cover Art

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Details At A Glance

General Extras
Category Comedy Menu Animation & Audio
Trailer-21 and Over
Trailer-The Last Stand
Trailer-Silver Linings Playbook
Rating Rated MA
Year Of Production 2013
Running Time 90:14 (Case: 94)
RSDL / Flipper No/No Cast & Crew
Start Up Ads Then Menu
Region Coding 4 Directed By Bob Odenkirk
Peter Farrelly
Steven Brill
Steve Carr
Studio
Distributor
Relativity Media
Roadshow Home Entertainment
Starring Elizabeth Banks
Dennis Quaid
Hugh Jackman
Greg Kinnear
Seth MacFarlane
Common
Kate Winslet
Charlie Saxton
Chloë Grace Moretz
Will Sasso
Halle Berry
Odessa Rae
Richard Gere
Case Amaray-Transparent
RPI ? Music Tyler Bates
Christophe Beck
Leo Birenberg


Video Audio
Pan & Scan/Full Frame None English Dolby Digital 5.1 (448Kb/s)
English Descriptive Audio Dolby Digital 2.0 (256Kb/s)
Widescreen Aspect Ratio 1.78:1
16x9 Enhancement
16x9 Enhanced
Video Format 576i (PAL)
Original Aspect Ratio 1.85:1 Miscellaneous
Jacket Pictures No
Subtitles English for the Hearing Impaired Smoking Yes
Annoying Product Placement No
Action In or After Credits Yes, Beezel sketch is after segment credits.

NOTE: The Profanity Filter is ON. Turn it off here.

Plot Synopsis

"The biggest cast ever assembled for the most outrageous comedy ever made."

     It’s hard to know where to start with Movie 43 so perhaps a bit of background first. Around ten years ago (early 2000’s) producer Charles Wessler conceived of an idea whereby varied writers and directors would each create a short sketch to be aggregated into an anthology comedy. One proviso of the skit was that it had to be totally outrageous and push the envelope of acceptable bad taste. Think of the “aristocrats” joke and you have a bit of an idea of where we are heading. To top it off the actors included would be largely “A-list” and therefore not readily associated with gross-out comedy. Despite studio rejection for Wessler’s concept over a number of years a green light for production was received from Relativity Media, and Wessler with co-producer Peter Farrelly got to work. Filming over four years the duo eventually compiled fourteen sketches using well-known actors working for scale wages with the final result released in 2013. As far as I’m aware none of the included actors have actively promoted their contributions, leading to many speculating that they were embarrassed by the results. I’m more inclined to believe however that they were secretly amused by the whole idea but couldn’t admit to that publically. I can readily imagine them having a good laugh about it all over a well lubricated dinner party. The critics almost unanimously bagged Movie 43, so much so that even Farrelly took umbrage. Apparently it was the Citizen Kane of bad movies but at the end of the day, he argued, it was only a movie - not the end of civilisation as we know it. Could Movie 43 really be THAT bad? Well having watched it I can provide one opinion on that question – but will leave that to the summary below.

     The Pitch.

     Dennis Quaid is an aspiring screenwriter who just may be a bit mad and dangerous. His idea for movie stories is pitched to studio executive Greg Kinnear, and this framing device is used to introduce the individual segments following. Note that for whatever reason this binding link was filmed differently for the UK and European market, with the narrative being formed around a bunch of teenagers looking for a mythical "Movie 43".

     The Catch.

     A blind date between Davis (Hugh Jackman) and Beth (Kate Winslet) begins well until Beth’s dream date reveals a part of himself that causes much consternation. Oddly enough is it only Kate that thinks there is an issue?

     Homeschooled.

     Robert (Liev Schreiber) and Samantha (Naomi Watts) are parents who are homeschooling teenage son Kevin (Jeremy Allen White). The caring couple are determined to make sure that the home school experiment provides all the experiences of the outside world, and that Kevin develops into a well-adjusted young adult.

     The Proposition.

     Jason (Chris Pratt) and Vanessa (Anna Faris) are a young couple very much in love. Jason wants to propose marriage and will do anything for Vanessa, but she has an unusual request that is outside the usual courtship repertoire and which takes their relationship to a new level.

     Veronica.

     Bored checkout guy Neil (Kieran Culkin) encounters an old flame Veronica (Emma Stone) at the supermarket counter. Their escalating conversation is being piped throughout the store complex - much to the interest of other shoppers.

     iBabe, "a new way to listen to your music" (faux advertisement).

     Looks like a must have for the blokes.

     Superhero Speed Dating.

     Caped crusader side-kick Robin (Justin Long) is looking to advance his love life at a speed dating event, but Batman (Jason Sudeikis) is acting as spoiler. Lois Lane (Uma Thurman), Superman (Bobby Cannavale), Supergirl (Kristen Bell) and Wonder Woman (Leslie Bibb) all make an appearance, but the Penguin (John Hodgman) also needs to be dealt with. Little does Robin know that the Riddler (Will Carlough) is also in on the plot, albeit in disguise.

     Machine Kids (faux advertisement).

     Who’d have thought that the technology behind all those mechanical innovations was so simple?

    iBabe.

     Technology moves quickly and the new mass-market gadget is the iBabe – a new way to listen to music which looks and feels exactly the same as a naked woman. The concept is being sold to company boss Richard Gere, but it is only Arlene (Kate Bosworth) on the management team who sees that there might be a problem with this idea.

     Middleschool Date.

     Awakening into woman-hood as experienced by Amanda (Chloë Grace Moretz) is a rather public and messy affair, which is not helped by family and friends.

     Tampax (faux advertisement).

     The perils of not being properly plugged are demonstrated in devastating fashion.

    Happy Birthday.

     Pete (Johnny Knoxville) captures a foul mouthed leprechaun (Gerard Butler) as a birthday present for Brian (Seann William Scott). The legendary pot of gold that comes with capturing a leprechaun is hard earned, although fairy (Esti Ginzburg) provides additional compensation.

     Truth or Dare.

     Who’d have thought an innocent game of truth or dare on a dinner date could get so out of hand? Emily (Halle Berry) and Donald (Stephen Merchant) find out too late that if the chemistry is missing then there’s no point in labouring it.

     Victory’s Glory.

     Terence Howard plays Coach Jackson who is revving up his wimpy all-black basketball team. White men can’t jump – correct? So who should win if his team is playing an all-white opposition?

     Beezel (after the segment credits – part animation).

     Anson (Josh Duhamel) is settling down with girlfriend Amy (Elizabeth Banks), but Josh’s obsessed and demented animated cat Beezel has other ideas.

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Transfer Quality

Video

     The video is presented in 1.78:1 anamorphic enhanced widescreen. This is slightly taller than the cinematic aspect of 1.85:1. Despite filming taking a number of years in varied settings the video consistency is pretty uniform over the sketches. The detail is good and there is no obvious sign of compression artefacts although this is only a single layer DVD. There is however some macro blocking if you freeze frame in certain spots (for example at 78:31). Grain is evident in dimly lit scenes, but not distractingly so. Black levels, contrast and greys are good, with darker scenes such as in the Happy Birthday sketch basement easy to make out. Skin tones are accurate and blood is the correct shade of red. Note that the Victory’s Glory sketch is meant to be taken from old 1950’s footage so has deliberately introduced artefacts and graininess. Subtitles are English descriptive for the hearing impaired.

Video Ratings Summary
Sharpness
Shadow Detail
Colour
Grain/Pixelization
Film-To-Video Artefacts
Film Artefacts
Overall

Audio

     Default audio track is Dolby Digital 5.1 encoded at 448 Kb/s. There is not much happening with the surround channels or subwoofer although these spring to life during the music segments. The sketches are very much dialogue driven so importantly everything is always clear and easy to understand. Synchronisation with the video is also problem free. For this type of presentation the audio track is appropriate. There is also Dolby Digital 2.0 at 256 Kb/s descriptive narration for the vision impaired.

Audio Ratings Summary
Dialogue
Audio Sync
Clicks/Pops/Dropouts
Surround Channel Use
Subwoofer
Overall

Extras

Menu

     Animated menu with audio.

Movie Trailers

     All playing sequentially before the opening menu; SD video and Dolby Digital 2.0 at 256 Kb/s. 21 and Over (2:27), The Last Stand (1:56), Silver Linings Playbook (2:20)

R4 vs R1

NOTE: To view non-R4 releases, your equipment needs to be multi-zone compatible and usually also NTSC compatible.

     Movie 43 seems identical to Region 1 versions apart from language options. There is a Region 4 DVD available which includes the alternative “pitch”. Blu-ray/DVD combo is also available in Region A, and Blu-ray/Digital copy in Region B.

     Supposedly a cut skit featuring necrophilia was to be included on DVD or Blu-ray, but unfortunately this release does not include it. I’m guessing that someone high in the food chain thought that was one step too far.

Summary

     Wessler and Farrelly have created something with Movie 43. What that “something” is I’m not totally sure, but you could probably analyse the different segments and come up with highly intellectual and intended observations on misogyny, or perversion, or racism, or cultural norms, or the Hollywood studio “system”. Perhaps that is true – or just perhaps the producers and writers wanted to let the average viewer be part of a big “in-joke”. Calling the film "Movie 43" after the mythical banned movie that exists only on the internet seems to support that theory. The use of A-list actors might have made the experience more enjoyable, as there is a curious delight in seeing stars like Jackman, Winslet, and Watts getting dirty and taking the p*ss whilst getting paid peanuts to do it. Ricky Gervais’s Extras TV series showed the mischievous side of some well-known faces, and Studio 43 has taken that to a new level.

     As said earlier, Movie 43 was almost universally savaged by the cabal of movie critics who breathlessly highlighted some of the perversities put to film. Maybe they didn’t find it funny, or maybe they thought it best to not find it funny? I don’t know. As for this reviewer, a couple of skits were only amusing – the rest were f’n hilarious.

     Watch this movie like a guilty pleasure – and not with the kids or maiden aunt present.

     The video quality is very good.

    The audio quality is very good.

     The extra are meagre.

Ratings (out of 5)

Video
Audio
Extras
Plot
Overall

© Mike B (read my bio)
Friday, June 21, 2013
Review Equipment
DVDCambridge Audio 751bd, using HDMI output
DisplayPanasonic TH-58PZ850A. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL). This display device is 16x9 capable. This display device has a maximum native resolution of 1080p.
Audio DecoderBuilt in to amplifier/receiver. Calibrated with Digital Video Essentials (PAL).
Amplificationdenon AVR-4311 pre-out to Elektra Theatron 7 channel amp
SpeakersB&W LCR600 centre and 603s3 mains, Niles in ceiling surrounds, SVS PC-Ultra Sub, Definitive Technology Supercube II Sub

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